Unveiling the World’s Oldest City Blueprint: The Amazing Kao Gong Ji 📜

Hey there! Have you ever wondered how ancient cities were planned and built? 🏛️ Let’s dive into the fascinating world of the Kao Gong Ji (考工记), also known as The Artificer’s Record, which might just be the world’s oldest urban planning manual!

What is the Kao Gong Ji?

The Kao Gong Ji is an ancient Chinese text that dates back over two thousand years to the Warring States Period (475–221 BC). That’s super old! 😮 It was a time of great change and lots of inventions in China.

This amazing book is like an encyclopedia 📚 of ancient technology and crafts. It has about 7,000 characters and includes instructions on making all sorts of things—from bronze weapons 🗡️ and ornaments 💍 to wooden structures 🏯 and carriages 🚗!

Ancient City Planning

One of the coolest parts of the Kao Gong Ji is its section on city planning 🏙️. It describes how to design a capital city with precise measurements and layouts. According to the text:

"The capital city spans a square area, with three gates opening on each of its walls. Three main streets run north-south, and three run east-west. Three paths branch off from each main street."

Isn’t it amazing that they had such detailed city designs way back then? 🤯

The Legacy Lives On

These ancient principles influenced city designs for centuries! One famous example is the city of Beijing 🏰. Designed during the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368), Beijing was built along a central axis—a straight line running from north to south through the city. Along this line, you’ll find important landmarks like imperial palaces, gardens, and temples 🕌.

Guess what? In 2023, the Beijing Central Axis was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List 🌍! That’s a big deal because it means this area is recognized as having special cultural importance to the whole world.

Why Should We Care?

The Kao Gong Ji shows us that even thousands of years ago, people were thinking deeply about how to design and build their communities 🏘️. It reminds us that planning and technology have long been important parts of human history.

So next time you’re walking down a city street, think about all the planning that went into making it just right! 🏗️✨

Reference(s):

The world's oldest urban blueprint? A look inside Kao Gong Ji

cgtn.com